The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1887-07-22
AN OPEN LETTER TO WILLIAM
KRIOKBAUM.

AN OPEN LETTER TO WILLIAM
KRIOKBAUM.
DEAR SIR
The old saying that nothing but
good should be said of the dead" is a
very proper one to be observed, but az
it does not apply to "dead duck" nor
a defunct politician, you will pardon
me for alluding to few things in this
reply, which you have called forth by
your very affable communication in the
Sentiners last issue. Something seems
to have gone wrong with you recently
which disturbed the equapimity Of
your well.known amiakle disposition,
and which resulted in your pouring out
upon the public, by the column, heap
of abuse upon everybody who you
imagine had any part in turning you
out of the court house OF course, it
is but natural that you should have a
feeling of resentment against those who
you think assisted in tearing you away
from the public pap upon which you
feasted for eighteen years and from
which you derived fortune greater
than your aggregate salary, but it
would have been in much better taste
if you had gracefully submitted to the
will of the people, instead of boiling
the ticket and constantly reviling those
who did not approve of your political
methods. 1t is well known that you
bought newspaper, that you might
through it, punish your enemies, and at
the same time reinstate yourself in the
good graces of the democratic party
with the hope of again securing pub
lie Office. Thus far, you have accom-
plished neither object, and this failure
seems to have soured your temper
You are therefore, ever ready to give
vent to your spleen, with or without
provocation, and the very thought of
your lost grip so inhames your passions
that you are liable to be reckless in
your assertions and contemplate in
your insinuations.
Clerk Casey's letter was the occasion
of your recent remarkable utterances,
but instead of meeting the serious
charge which he makes against you, of
altering public records, in a straight
forward manly way, you founder about
and denounce everybody else, hoping
thus to draw attention from Yourself
But you ask for information, which
cheerfully give you. did not tell
'.Mr. Low, Mercantile appraiser in 1885
that would not agree to allow the
list to be published in the Sentinel be-
cause you did not give me enough ad-
vertising while you were in Office.
To say that l would not allo,o the list
to be published in any other paper
would have been absurd. l had no
control over it, and could not in any
way have prevented Mr.. Low from
publishing it wherever he saw fit. 1t
has been the custom for years to pub
lish the list in three papers, and the
amount to which two papers were legal
ly entitled for the work has been di-
vided among three, thus reducing the
amount received by each. There is no
"division of spoils' about this, as it has
cost the state just the same money to
have the list printed in three papers,
that it would have cost if printed in
only two. The law now allows the
publication in three papers, and pays
them all.
But even if it were "spoils' you did
not hesitate to become "party to the
fraud" as you earnestly solicited the
appraiser to let you print it and divide
the pay into four parts. Had this been
done, you would not now be complain.
ing about "defrauding the state.' But
the COLUMBIAN, Republican and Item,
refused to publish il for the sum they
would have received if it had gone in
four papers, and so you did not get it,
although as final argument you offer
ed Mr.. Low bribe of twenty dollars
if he would give it to you. And yet
you prate about "spoils" Yoa; talk
about "base and trucking course
AS to printing tickets in 1878, if |
am correctly informed you got them
for nothing, and therefore ought not
to complain. The prices charged were
the same as had been paid for years by
candidates, and even then were much
lower than what is charged now in
most counties of the state.
Your insinuation about paying the
sheriff bonus on advertising is utterly
and absolutely untrue.
As TO acting "Judas part" in the
Weirman matter three years ago, j
have only to say that such an accusa.
ton would come from no one but an
migrate. In the last three issues of the
COLUMBIAN before the delegate election
of 1884, you were given forty inches
of space in its columns, while w. Ii
Snyder filed but twenty-six inches
Both had been previously informed
thai no articles making charges against
the other would be printed the last
week before the delegate election un-
less the accused had an opportunity to
reply in the same issue. Mr. Snyder
agreed to this, and the afiidavits OF
August 8, 1884 were submitted to you,
and your answer was prepared by an
attorney, and printed in the same issue.
AS soon as you learned that Mr. Snyder
had left town you acted in bad faith
and brought in an affidavit making a
serious charge against him and we de.
clined to publish it unless Snyder had
the same opportunity of replying that
had been given to you. The article
was then voluntarily withdrawn, and
subsequently contradicted by the per
son who swore TO il.
The space occupied by you was Civ
on OratuilOualy and then while the
matter was fresh IN your mind, you eX-
pressed to us, through friend, your
appreciation OF the 0ery .fair manner
in which we had treated you. All this
you have conveniently forgotten, and
now in your desperation you call me a
Judas, you, whose whole political life
has been one long series of the betray-
al of friends.
The flee Of the COLUMBIAN of July
25, August / and s, 1854, will substsn-
tate all that has been said as to the